n.
Pronunciation: ' le-v ə r, ' l ē -
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French levier, lever, from lever to raise, from Latin levare, from levis light in weight ― more at LIGHT
Date: 14th century
1 a : a bar used for prying or dislodging something b : an inducing or compelling force : TOOL <use food as a political lever ― Time >
2 a : a rigid piece that transmits and modifies force or motion when forces are applied at two points and it turns about a third specifically : a rigid bar used to exert a pressure or sustain a weight at one point of its length by the application of a force at a second and turning at a third on a fulcrum b : a projecting piece by which a mechanism is operated or adjusted
lever 2a